Burger King Nixes Lower-Calorie 'Satisfries'

NEW YORK – Burger King (BKW) is getting rid of the lower-calorie french fries it introduced less than a year ago.

The Miami-based chain said in a statement that it gave its North American franchisees the option to continue selling the fries earlier this week. Only about 2,500 of the approximately 7,500 locations opted to continue selling them as a permanent item. The others have started phasing them out.

The french fries, called "Satisfries," gained widespread attention online when Burger King introduced them in September. The company said the fries used a different type of batter to prevent some oil from being absorbed by the potatoes in the frying process.

Overall sales at established restaurants in the U.S. and Canada have remained weak, with the figure up just 0.4 percent in the latest quarter.